Felicity Mabelane has been struggling to pay her electricity account in full to the City of Johannesburg since 2010 and she is now in arrears for more than R32,000.
Mabelane, 54, a resident of Diepkloof Zone 4 in Soweto, is one of more than 2,000 householders in the township who have applied to the city for their debt to be written off as part of the council's debt rehabilitation programme.
Mabelane lives with her 28-year-old disabled son. They survive on her son's R1,980 disability grant.
Mabelane said she spends R400 on electricity, R300 on water, R300 on rates and the rest goes to food and transport to take her son to the doctor for medical check-ups.
“I found out about the programme in May. I think I owe around R32,000 in electricity from 2010. I went to the municipal office in Zone 2 [Diepkloof] to apply. There are times the food I buy lasts us for only two weeks and I have to borrow money from loan sharks in order to buy more food. My grant is not enough to pay for these services,’’ said Mabelane.
She said she has been receiving an electricity bill of around R2,000 a month and she is struggling to pay this amount in full.
“I can only afford to pay R400 for electricity. I am no longer working. No-one wants to employ people at my age because they say we are too old. I hope my application is approved so that my debt can be cancelled,” she said.
According to the city's MMC for finance, Julie Suddaby, the city has received more than 8,000 applications for its debt rehabilitation programme, which closed last week.
Suddaby said the bulk of the applications came from Soweto, which has become synonymous with the culture of nonpayment for services.
The city received 8,917 applications by June 25.
According to the city, for householders to qualify for the debt rehabilitation programme, they should have a combined income of less than R22,000 a month. Small businesses, non-profit organisations and churches that are in arrears with the city also qualify for the debt write-off. Successful applicants will receive an immediate 50% debt write-off.
Rose Khwele, 85, of Diepkloof, said she also applied for the programme in January but had not yet received a response from the city to her application.
The pensioner is unemployed and survives on a R2,000 old-age grant.
She said she spends R1,000 on food, contributes R660 to her stokvel group and the rest goes to electricity.
Khwele said she applied for the programme because she owes the city about R100,000 in rates and taxes accumulated over 10 years.
“I applied for this programme so that I can pay for these services. The grant I am getting is so little. I am not working and do not have the money that the municipality wants. I have been waiting for a response and have not received any feedback,” said Khwele.
Both Mabelane and Khwele said they do not know how their debt reached that level.
Poppy Mnguni, 58, of Diepkloof Zone 5, said she submitted her application on Monday last week and hopes her debt of about R30,000 for rates and taxes is reduced.
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